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Óin was the older brother of Glóin, cousin of Dwalin and Balin, and uncle of Gimli. He usually wore a brown-hooded cloak when travelling. Óin fought in the Battle of Azanulbizar along with Thorin Oakenshield, and in TA 2941 joined with Thorin and Company on the quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain wearing a brown hood.[2] Óin was one of the Dwarves who bet that Bilbo would come along with them to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. Óin and his brother Glóin were usually in charge of preparing the fire for the Company. He fought in and survived the Battle of the Five Armies, and later settled in the Lonely Mountain along with many other dwarves of The Company of Thorin.

Forty-eight years later, in TA 2989, Óin went to Moria with Balin and others to recover the realm for the Dwarves of Durin's Folk. After Balin became Lord of Moria, according to the Book of Mazarbul, Óin was sent to look for the Upper Armories of the Third Deep, which was apparently westwards of the Hollin Gate (the west gate out of Moria). Some five years passed, with Óin at some point rejoining Balin, before the Moria Orcs attacked. The Dwarves could not escape by the eastern gate because the Orcs held the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, so they tried to escape by the Hollin Gate. But the water outside the door was right up to the wall, and the Watcher in the Water took Óin. He was likely ripped apart and eaten.[1]

In Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film trilogy, Óin is portrayed by John Callen. Although hard of hearing and requiring an ear trumpet to aid him (which is later trodden on by one of the goblins in Goblin-town), Óin is as fierce a warrior as the other members of Thorin's party and is lethally proficient with his iron-headed staff (in one scene he is shown swinging it over his head multiple times, bashing numerous goblins at once). According to the studio release,

"Along with his brother Glóin, Óin was a distant cousin of Thorin Oakenshield. A brave Northern Dwarf, Óin joins The Company of Thorin Oakenshield out of a sense of loyalty to his kin, and also because he has a substantial sum of money invested in the venture. Well read, with an inquiring mind, Óin was the healer among the Company, often applying an herbal salve of his own invention – which has since come to be known as 'ointment' after its maker."

In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: A Visual Companion, writer Jude Fisher added additional background information, including the fact that Óin often acts as a midwife on those rare occasions when a Dwarf woman gives birth. Rumor has it that he personally delivered his nephew, Gimli, and dropped him on his head.

In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, he decides to stay in Lake-town with Fíli and Kíli after the latter is poisoned by an orc arrow during their escape from Mirkwood, remarking that his duty is to the sick. As he attempts to bring Kíli's fever down he asks Bard for some Kingsfoil, which Bard says is a weed they use to feed the pigs, prompting Bofur to go and find some. Later Tauriel treats Kíli's wound with Kingsfoil, after which Óin remarks to Fíli that he has heard of the wonders of elvish medicine, and regards it as a privilege to see it in action.

Óin is portrayed as a medic to the company in the films. He is seen at different times in the films holding various bottles and jars. In these jars he supposedly keeps natural remedies and ointment (appropriately named after him). Later on in the second film he stays behind in Lake Town with an injured Kíli, having being pierced by a morgul shaft. When Thorin asks Óin to join him in coming to the Mountain, he says, "my duty lies with the wounded".